MBP - No Merom After All?

[happaballer12]

I just read this blog: http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/index.php?p=260.

It reports that "although Merom is pin-compatible with Yonah you need a socket interface in order to upgrade to Merom. Both the MacBook and MacBook Pro have Ball Grid Array (BGA) interfaces so upgrading them to Merom is out of the question."

Is this true? Could this mean no MBP w/ Core 2 Duo for months and months?

 

[risc]

BGA just means that there is no actual CPU socket. So NO YOU can't just upgrade that CPU in your MacBook (Pro) because there is no easy way to remove the Yonah and replace it with the Merom. There is nothing stopping Apple replacing the CPU.

edit:

It actually says so in the link. You didn't quote it all.

The bad news is that although Merom is pin-compatible with Yonah you need a socket interface in order to upgrade to Merom. Both the MacBook and MacBook Pro have Ball Grid Array (BGA) interfaces so upgrading them to Merom is out of the question - unless you really like to solder.

They even put it in bold for you.

 

[extraextra]

What risc said. They just said going from Yonah -> Merom wasn't a DIY kind of thing.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Yes, for a manufacturer, it's a drop-in replacement. And Core 2 Duo (Merom) even costs the same in quantity as the same speed Core Duo (Yonah.) And at the speeds Apple is using, you even get double the L2 cache thrown in!

This means that for Apple, it is a no-brainer to swap Core Duo for Core 2 Duo. They won't even have to change anything about their manufacturing process, other than validating that the Core 2 Duo functions properly. (Which it should, since hobbyists have already swapped the processors in Mac minis and iMacs successfully, since those are in a socket.)

Yes, adding a third voice, this just means that for people who own the CURRENT MacBook or MacBook Pro, you can't just take out your processor and throw in a Merom, the way a mini or iMac owner can. (If you're REALLY good at soldering BGA chips, you could pull it off, but I wouldn't risk my $2500 laptop...)